When you hear the word “Monsanto,” you may think of PCB production, Agent Orange experiments and genetically modified vegetables. You may also recall Monsanto’s history of scandal, cover-up and collusion. Ideas such as “insurmountable” and “corrupt” may come to mind. This international conglomerate often seems impossible to touch, but a farmer from Saskatchewan, Canada changed all of that.

Percy Schmeiser never planted Monsanto’s GMO seeds. According to auburnpub.com, however, his neighbor did and some of the seeds drifted onto Percy’s land. Monsanto took Percy to court and accused him of theft. Outside of the courtroom, Monsanto sent spies to Percy’s land to collect evidence as well as threatening goons to intimidate Percy and his family. They would park out front of his home for days at a time and call with such benevolent messages as “We’re going to destroy you” (auburnpub.com).

The court case raged on for years, but Percy won and even got a small sum of money out of Monsanto. I bring up his story today because all too often, those fighting for a good cause are bullied out of the spotlight. Standing up against large issues backed by corporate funding seems impossibly challenging, but Percy reminds us that it can be done.

One response to “One man stands up to giant… And wins”

This is a fantastic story, and I hope it gets the widespread attention it deserves.
It’s sad to think what Percy’s family must have endured, and I can’t help but wonder how many other family farmers received this kind of treatment from Monsanto, and were frightened into silence.